Missing Children Publication Hub

The publications in this section contain the results of our research as well as curated research on topics and issues relevant to missing children in Europe and the world. Example of the type of research you can find are understanding the causes of the different types of missing children cases in Europe, policy on missing children, search and rescue operations and family support. The menu and submenu options below will help you find what you're looking for.

If you'd like to share relevant research with us, please send the title, a link and description of the research to info@missingchildreneurope.eu.

This Paper introduces the key findings of a quantitative study of youth-produced sexual content online.

Running from hate to what you think is love: The relationship between running away and child sexual exploitation

Emilie Smeaton

This report focuses on different cases of sexual exploitation on children. The report has a strong background information, with true examples. It tries to identify the problem of disappearance due to abuse.

Hidden in Plain Sight: A statistical analysis of violence against children

UNICEF

The report sheds light on the prevalence of different forms of violence against children, with global figures and data from 190 countries. Where relevant, data are disaggregated by age and sex, to provide insights into risk and protective factors.

Still Hidden

Nicola Sharp

The article underlines and explores the possible link between children that go missing and child sexual exploitation.

Despite increased awareness and a heightened state of alert regarding child sexual exploitation children are still slipping through the net and falling prey to sexual predators. Serious gaps remain in the knowledge, practice and services required to tackle this problem.

Ending Violence Against Children: Six Strategies for Action

UNICEF

Provides evidence of effective programmes to address violence against children drawn from UNICEF's decades of experience, and informed by key partners.

Whose child now? Fifteen years of working to prevent the sexual exploitation of children in the UK

Stacey, L.

Report exploring the continuing hidden nature of the problem of sexually exploited children and describes what Barnardo's is doing today, while suggesting what action still remains to be taken to further protect exploited children and young people.

Terminology Guidelines for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse

Susanna Greijer and Jaap Doek

Communication is of critical importance in our efforts to respect, protect and implement the rights of the child. In order to make this communication with and between children, parents, governmental officials, professionals and volunteers working with or for children as effective as possible, we need to use terms and concepts that all these actors understand and consider respectful.

A survey on the transposition of Directive 2011/93/EU on combating sexual absue and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography

Missing Children Europe, ECPAT, eNasco

The main objective of the project was to compare the choice of ‘methods and strategies’ developed by Member States in order to achieve the binding results defined by the Directive and to assess them based on the best interests of the child.

Sexual Exploitation Project

Anon

Details of Missing People's work to support children who are sexually exploited

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Online- A Strategic Assessment

European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) – Europol

The aim of this assessment is to identify current trends in production, distribution and access to
commercial child abusive material (CAM), based on the insight and expertise of EFC
members, as well as observations of EU Member States law enforcement representatives.

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Online- A Strategic Assessment

European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) – Europol

The aim of this report is to provide an update to the Strategic Assessment
of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Online published in October 2013 in the
framework of European Financial Coalition (EFC). In addition to presenting the 2013 facts and
figures, it also looks at other essential factors in this area.

New technology has changed how adults take advantage of children with a variety of new tools available. Victimisation has taken on new characteristics and internet, digital photography and ease of travel have all had an impact.

Terre des Hommes Netherlands' four researchers identified 1,000 predators in 10 weeks. Call for all government agencies in charge of justice to identify and convict 100,000 predators committing the crime of WCST before the end of 2014

Better support, better protection: Steps lawyers and guardians can take to better identify and protect trafficked children

Nadine Finch

This report provides a snapshot of the manner in which children who may have been trafficked into and within five EU states were or were not identified and protected in and up to 2016.

The link between: Trafficked children and missing

Every year approximately 250,000 people are reported missing to the police and other agencies across the UK. About two thirds of these reports will be children under 18 (Home Office: 2010), and a proportion of will have been victims of trafficking.

his study is a deliverable of the EU Strategy towards the Eradication of Trafficking in Human Beings 2012-2016, which recognised that vulnerable groups, such as children, are at greater risk of human trafficking.

Guardianship systems for children deprived of parental care in the European Union

This report explores the key features of guardianship systems put in place to cater for the needs of all children in need of protection, including child victims and those at risk of becoming victims of trafficking in human beings or of other forms of exploitation. The research covers four specific areas, namely the type of guardianship systems in place, the profile of appointed guardians, the appointment procedures, and the tasks of the guardians.

Re/integration of trafficked persons. Working with trafficked children and youth

Rebecca Surtees

This paper was developed in the context of the Trafficking Victims Re/integration Programme (TVRP), which funds NGO’s in several countries of Southeastern Europe. It is the fifth of a series that aim to shed light on good practices in the area of re/integration as well as on important lessons learned.

Trafficked children and 'missing'

Anon

An exploration of research linking missing and trafficked children co-written by Missing People and ECPAT UK

FAQs on child traffiking

Anon

ECPAT UK published a new booklet to empower practitioners, campaigners, students and the general public to ensure the needs of trafficked children are considered at every level of UK society.

A Critique on the influence of the “New Abolitionist Movement” upon the Child Trafficking discourse

Elizabeth Faulkner,

Echoing Kipling’s sentiment in “The White Man’s Burden” the movement has effectively established an unchallenged dominance over debates with regards to human trafficking, which begs the questions why and who benefits from this influence?

Guidance for professionals working with children who may have been trafficked

Anon

Guidance on how professionals should act when in contact with young children that been trafficked.

Lost kids, lost futures. The European Union's response to Child Trafficking

Mirjam Van Reisen, Ana Stefanovic

Paper looking at how the European Union (EU) has chosen to respond to this challenge and assesses critically the legal, policy and implementation framework put in place to fight child trafficking.

Child human trafficking victims: Challenges for the child welfare system

Rowena Fong, Jodi Berger Cardoso

An overall analysis and overview of child trafficking in the USA.

Guardianship for Children Deprived of Parental Care

Anon

Handbook designed to help standardise guardianship practice, ensuring also that it is better equipped to deal with the specific needs of child victims of trafficking.

Kids as Commodities? Child trafficking and what to do about it

Mike Dottridge

Report focusing on what NGOs can do, with the intention of showing them what techniques there are agreement on, and what need further discussion.

A handbook on planning projects to prevent child trafficking

Mike Dottridge

A handbook aimed at strengthening the protection of children and addressing the needs of children victim of child trafficking.

Tackles the challenges of identifying trafficked children and offers recommandations in order to advance toward solutions and resolutions.

Beyond a Snapshot: Learning lessons from the Terre des Hommes International Campaign against Child Trafficking (2001-2011)

Anon

Review of TDH campaign including evaluations, publications and views of TDH staff. Campaign against child trafficking and improvements in methods and programmes to reduce child trafficking and improve protection of children who had been trafficked.

Tackles social aspects of child trafficking including the phenomenon of the feminization of trafficking, and the psychological consequences experienced by the child survivor.

Haunted: Treatment of a Child Survivor of Human Trafficking

Bennett-Murphy

Article examines challenges in the treatment of child survivors of human trafficking. Integrating psychoanalytic theory with models of self-development from the cognitive developmental psychology literature, the paper offers a clinical case presentation of an 11-year-old survivor

A study using social network analysis to explore internal trafficking of children intended for sexual exploitation.

Moving children? Child trafficking, child migration, and child rights

Julia O'Connell Davidson

An article aiming to update the reader with the latest information regarding the latest trends, themes and patterns in child trafficking.

Rumours of Child Trafficking after Natural Disasters

Heather Montgomery

Article reviewing how rumours of child trafficking have surfaced quickly after every major natural disaster since the Asian tsunami (although usually proved false or exaggerated).

Global Child Trafficking

Beyrer, C

Review of global child trafficking, severity, causes, documentation, what can be done and prevention from the perspective of the USA

The SIAMSECT files

Vermuelen, G., Balcaen, A., Di Nicola, A., & Cauduro, A.

Development of EU template and collection plan for statistical information and analysis on missing and sexually exploited children and trafficking in human beings in order to have reliable and comparable collection and analysis of indicators and other data, as well as enabling communication between EU, other EU bodies and third party organisations.

Meeting the Needs of Sexually Exploited Young People in London

Harper, Z, & Scott, S

A research report based on interviews with social services on the issue of child trafficking, in the UK.

Protection of children and vulnerable adults: police disclosure of damaging allegations

Bennion, F. A

Explores the nature and methods of abuse in child trafficking. It also explores the protection and treatment offered to these vulnerable children.

Kids abroad: ignore them, abuse them or protect them?

Mike Dottridge

Focuses on the experience of young people who leave home or travel abroad to seek work or a better life and also on children who are sent away from home by their parents. It explores initiatives that reduce the likelihood that such children will be subjected to exploitation.

Precious Children in a Heartless World? The Complexities of Child Trafficking in Marseille

Brenda Carina Oude Breuil

Examines how implicit notions in the concepts of "children" and "home" influence the study of child trafficking.

Falling Through the Gaps: Safeguarding Children Trafficked into the UK

Bokhari, F

Overview of child trafficking in the UK. Highlights the shortcomings and inconsistent standards of local authorities, the lack of specialist protection and the uncertainty of a trafficked child's immigration status, combining to make these children vulnerable to further harm and at risk from the influence of their traffickers.

Missing Out: A study of child trafficking in the North-West, North-East and West Midlands

Beddoe, C

Interviews with social services, other agencies and voluntary sector organisations. Across the three regions there were 80 reported cases of known or suspected child victims of trafficking. 60% of these children have gone missing from social services care and have never been found.

The Tragedy and Horror of Human Trafficking of Children and Youth.

Betz, C. L

The extent to which children and youth are trafficked is difficult to estimate because these victims are hidden, silenced and forced to endure continued abuse creating fear and submissiveness. The estimates of children who are trafficking victims range from 600,000 to over 2 million.

The Presentation of Child Trafficking in the UK: An Old and New Moral Panic?

Cree, V. E, Clapton G and Smith M

Explores the ways in which the highly emotive subject of child trafficking is presented in the UK. Examining the way the issue has been tackled at two moments in time: the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 21st century.

Trafficking of Children in Albania: Patterns of Recruitment and Reintegration

Study to identify the patterns of child trafficking involving Albanian children, and especially children's views of the role of family issues and the nature of the trafficking experience.

Sexual Exploitation: "Internal Trafficking" of Children and Young People at risk in the North East and Cumbria

Cavener, J

Study exploring the internal trafficking of children and young people for the purpose of sexual exploitation across the North East and Cumbria.

What the Professionals Know: The Trafficking of Children Into, and Through, the UK for Sexual Purposes

Carron Somerset

Study to identify the facts on the the trafficking of children for sexual exploitation into and through the UK.

Mythologies and Panics: Twentieth Century Constructions of Child Prostitution

Alyson Brown

Examines twentieth century social constructions of child prostitutes and child prostitution, the origins of these representations and the extent to which they have been used as metaphors for other perceived social, economic and political problems.

Working with Trafficked Children and Young People: Complexities in Practice

Pearce, J. J

Argues for a review of children's services responses to trafficked children based on a literature search, focus groups, interviews and case studies. Highlights variations in practitioners understanding of trafficking, smuggling, internal trafficking.

Describes therapy with an adolescent girl and her infant daughter, following the girl's escape from illegal detention, physical abuse and forced prostitution, after she was trafficked to the UK from Eastern Europe.

Aggression in sexually abused trafficked girls and efficacy of intervention

Sibnath Deb, Aparna Mukherjee, Ben Mathews

Study to understand the incidence and severity of aggression among sexually abused girls who were trafficked and then used for commercial sexual exploitation. In addition, the impact of counseling for minimizing aggression from these girls was investigated.

Trafficking in Women and Children for Sexual Purposes: A Growing Threat in Europe

Manion, K

Presents and summarises sources of information regarding the trafficking of women and children for sexual purposes within Europe. Highlights the need for education of social care professionals regarding this issue and shows the current gaps within the system.

Breaking the wall of silence: practitioners' responses to trafficked children and young people

Pearce, J. J., Hynes, P., and Bovarnick, S.

Review of international and UK literature, report on focus groups and interviews of practitioners from children's services, analysis of children and young people trafficked into the UK and within the UK for sexual exploitation.

A Broad Vision to Put Children First : Child Trafficking in Europe

UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre

Child trafficking occurs in virtually all countries in Europe. Children are trafficked across borders, but they are also trafficked within countries. Internal trafficking is reported to occur in every second European country.

The IMPACT study notes that child rights violation also persists in Europe, despite the body of international, regional and national legal instruments adopted across the region to prohibit the practice and assist child victims

An exploratory model of girl's vulnerability to commercial sexual exploitation in prostitution

Joan A. Reid

Study utilising modelling to explore: whether caregiver strain is linked to child maltreatment, if experiencing maltreatment is associated with risk-inflating behaviours or sexual denigration of self/others, and if these behavioural and psychosocial dysfunctions are related to vulnerability to commercial sexual exploitation.

A review of the historical, neurological, and developmental vulnerabilities typical of child sex trafficking victims reveals serious doubts regarding their ability to control their choices or escape from a trafficker. The uniform shielding of all child victims of sex trafficking from legal culpability for the criminal conduct of traffickers is recommended.